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Admissions

GRBA Admission Ceremonies

The Grand Rapids Bar Association hosts two Admission Ceremonies per year, one in May (for those who pass the February Bar Exam) and another in November (for those who pass the July Bar Exam). The exact dates of the ceremonies are not set until the results come in.

After Bar Exam results are available, the Grand Rapids Bar Association will send a letter to all the admittees who submitted a mailing address in Kent County to the Board of Examiners. If you did not submit a mailing address in Kent County to the Board of Examiners but you would like to participate in the Grand Rapids Bar Association's ceremony, please call (616) 454-5550 to express your interest in participating and to give us your name, address, and phone number.

General Requirements

The letter sent out by the Grand Rapids Bar Association will describe the items you must provide in order to participate in the GRBA Admissions Ceremony. They are:

The name of your sponsoring attorney (the attorney who will say a few words on your behalf)

Your name as you would like it to appear on your Certificate of Admission

The original notice you received from the Board of Examiners

A check for $25 made payable to the Kent County Clerk

A check for $205 made payable to the U.S. District Court

The Petition for Admission which you will receive with the GRBA letter, which you will bring with you to the Ceremony. (Everything else must be delivered to the GRBA by the deadline listed in the letter).

Please read the GRBA letter very carefully. Thank you, and congratulations on passing the Bar!

Independent Admissions

If you've missed the May or November Admission Ceremony, you can schedule a date and time for your ceremony with the presiding Judge.

Once you have the date scheduled with the secretary; please complete the following:

A copy of your recommendation letter from the Michigan Board of Law Examiners (this should start with “To the Courts of Michigan”) should be attached to the e-mail.

On the date of your ceremony, please come to suite 2400 (ask for Ruth Thomet) with the following items:

$25.00 fee (cash, check or money order)

Original letter from the Michigan Board of Law Examiners

Your sponsoring attorney will need to be present for the ceremony

If you've missed the May or November Admission Ceremony, you can schedule a date and time for your ceremony with the presiding Judge. Please contact Ruth Thomet at the Circuit Court Clerk’s office via email at ruth.thomet@kentcountymi.gov to start the process.

***FYI*** Once your swearing-in has been completed, it does take 5-10 days to process the paperwork. Please note, you will not be able to receive your P number or practice until after the Michigan State Bar has received your Order of Admission from the County Clerk’s office.

If you have any questions, please call Ruth Thomet at (616) 632-5465or you may reach her at the e-mail listed above.